English waiting times step back from the brink
English waiting lists narrowly avoided two rotten headlines in April, and improved where it matters most. But trouble is still building in the longest-wait specialties.
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18-weeks targets push pressured Trusts into perverse patient scheduling
How the old admitted and non-admitted targets pushed 58 per cent of pressured Trusts into perverse patient scheduling in 2013-14.
Scotland puts the squeeze on outpatient long-waits
The rise in Scottish long-waiting outpatients has been partially reversed, but the underlying pressures continue to build.
English RTT waits better than expected
The English waiting list dodged the 3 million mark again, helped along by a surge in admissions and yet another Trust dropping out of the statistics. As expected, the admitted patient target was breached again, which is a sign of both stress and action. Plus a full detailed analysis of the local waiting times around England.
CCGs should authorise ’18 weeks’ breaches
Perverse incentives on 18 week waits would be reduced if CCGs authorised breaches in advance.
‘England is stuck with complex and perverse waiting times targets’
Why nothing will be done to improve England's 18-week waiting time targets.
Your 18 week waits: February 2014 data
Interactive maps of local NHS waits around England, showing the pressures and one-year-waits, with links to all the detail by organisation and specialty.
England breaches 18 weeks. But in a good way.
England failed at national level to achieve the "90 per cent of admissions within 18 weeks" target. Good. It shows that hospitals are doing the right thing by treating their longest-waiting patients as soon as they can. Even better, NHS England are cheering them on.
How many patients choose to wait longer?
By looking at clock pauses, you can estimate how many patients choose to wait longer. Which is good to know, when you're managing a service that's getting uncomfortably close to the non-admitted or incomplete pathways targets.
Lucky waiting list initiatives
Repeated waiting list initiatives are certainly undesirable. Should we go further, and declare them a sign of failure?